Numerical Analysis of the Impact of Debris Protection on Hydrokinetic Rotor
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Date
2024-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Global energy consumption is rising each year, and with an increase in energy consumption comes an increase in the reliance in renewable energy. Currently, hydropower is one of the most prominent forms of renewable energy used across the globe. However, the implementation of hydropower facilities is expensive, time consuming, and comes with a litany of environmental issues. An alternative to hydropower is hydrokinetic energy; hydrokinetic energy harnesses kinetic energy from moving streams of water rather than relying on the potential energy difference between water bodies. The purpose of this research is to validate a hydrokinetic turbine using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Previously the turbine was analyzed using Blade Element Momentum theory (BEM). However, this is a simple approach that does not account for turbulence created by the blades. StarCCM+ is utilized to construct the CFD model, which is then validated against BEM-derived flow parameters for maximum power efficiency. Validation of the BEM results using CFD is crucial because it facilitates further testing of additional geometrical features necessary for real world implementation. Additionally, this study investigates the impact of cylindrical rods placed upstream to act as a grid to block debris. Determining the grids optimal positioning based on their effect on the turbine’s power efficiency.
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Keywords
CFD, Hydrokinetic turbine, Hydrokinetic turbine debris shield, Numerical of hydrokinetic turbine